PureDepth grabs no-specs 3D OLED tech

Looking beyond the active-shutter era

PureDepth, a US company that holds a stack of intellectual property covering multi-layer displays, has added the use of OLED technology to its roster of patents.

The company this week said it has acquired - how much for, it didn't say - US patent 6,720,961, which details how two or more OLED panels can be placed one on top of the other to create a 3D display that can be viewed without special glasses.

The patent was filed in November 2001, though it claims priority over an application made in November 2000. It was approved in April 2004 and granted to one Thomas M Tracy of Uxbridge - Massachusetts not Middlesex.

For its part, PureDepth has been assembling its patent portfolio since its foundation in 1999. Its key patent holding is 7,626,594, filed in August 2000 and granted in December 2009.

The patent describes "an interactive imaging system with a perception of depth includes at least two screens configured to show a three-dimensional image, where the user can manipulate the image via control means. The control means can comprise touch screen controls, or means adjacent to the screens such as buttons, touchpads or a joystick. Image information may be transmitted over the internet or other communication means. Applications include computer games and simulators. Advertising messages may be displayed on one screen while images are being displayed on other screens".

So it's nothing if not comprehensive.

PureDepth licenses its patents to hardware manufacturers, including Sanyo and two makers of one-armed bandits, IGT and ADI. ®